


The Royal Menagerie

by Jastra



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Drama, F/M, Gen, Gender neutral style, Imprisonment, Kidnapping, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Reader is WoL, Violence, Zenos wants his friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 20:31:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13555041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jastra/pseuds/Jastra
Summary: After the death of Zenos yae Galvus, you decide to take time to explore the distant lands in the east, but much to your bad luck, heavy rain forces you to seek shelter inside an abandoned inn.Little do you know that something prowls in the lush green woods of Yanxia, hunting for you and  hungering for a reunion.Zenos was going to take his friend back to Garlemald one way or another, to add you to his royal menagerie.





	The Royal Menagerie

**Author's Note:**

> Written after the release of patch 4.2.

 

“I really should have hired a falcon from the porter,” you mutter underneath your breath as you march along the small trail through the lush green woods of Yanxia.

The small dribble that had started as soon as you had set your foot outside Namai had turned to proper rain a good while ago. While the verdant scenery certainly enjoyed the rain, it had left your clothes and gear completely soaked.

A soft sigh of relief escaped your lips when you finally spotted an old and abandoned looking building in the distance. You sped up your step, hurrying towards the house seek shelter from the rain that seemed to get heavier and heavier each passing moment. It was starting to get almost hard to see due to the downpour.

Dusk had fallen over the fringe areas of Yanxia a good while ago and while you had been prepared to spend your night in the woods, you had not expected the weather to turn this foul and foreboding. A part of you deeply regretted leaving your faithful chocobo in the tender cares of the stable master in Namai and venture into the wilderness on foot, but your ever faithful bird companion had hurt its leg and needed few days of rest to recover completely.

Alphinaud and Alisaie had offered to join you, but you had declined their offer, knowing that the twins' help was needed by Hien and Yugiri to keep things going fluently.

You whisper a small prayer to the Twelve when you find the door to the two story high building to be unlocked. No doubt it had served as a shelter to both refugees and travelers alike over the years. Not waiting for an invitation from inside the clearly abandoned house, you quickly step inside to seek shelter from the heavy, yet thankfully quite warm rain.

“Hello? Is anyone in here?” you ask loudly, but your voice merely echoes from the empty walls with no one there to answer you. “I hope I am not trespassing.”

The large building looked like an inn, probably abandoned during the early days of occupation by Garlean empire. Though the building had fallen into decay ages ago, it would still give you a roof over your head for the night and shield you from rain and the howling wind, even if the roof did leak rather badly.

Exhausted from the long day of walking, you undress from your rainwater soaked gear and place them to rest against the wall, leaving yourself only in clothes you wore underneath your other gear. You trusted your skills enough not to need your full equipment should a bandit or a wild animal or two find you, or worse, a Garlean spy.

You had ventured rather far into the fringe regions of Doma and while encountering an empire spy or scout was unlikely, it wasn't impossible.

Hien had warned you about them, but after Zenos' death, you felt like you didn't need to worry too much about the empire for now. One could hope that they had learned their lesson after losing the handsome, and clearly unhinged crown prince, but...the more likely scenario was a full blown retribution. Where or when that would happen remained to be seen.

 

Zenos yae Galvus....

For some reason you had hard time forgetting that unhinged smile on the crown prince's face as he had pointed his katana at you, calling you his friend and telling how much the two of you were alike. You could have been his confidant, someone whom with he could while away the quiet hours of the nights.

 _I am nothing like that animal,_ you think and lose yourself in the not so pleasant memories for a while.

Ala Mhigo had been freed from the Empire's iron grasp, but the encounter with Zenos had left its mark on you. That insane smile and mad look in his blue eyes haunted your dreams and mind every now and then. You shake your head, banishing the memories, refusing to let the ghost of Zenos hold any control over you. The man was dead and gone and the world was better for it.

 

You sigh and glance at the window to see that it was getting darker outside.

“Better set up my bedroll and eat something before I call it a night,” you mutter quietly.

The large water drops drummed against the partly broken tile roof in calming manner, making you feel rather peaceful and reminiscent. You thought of your comrades, those you had lost, those who were still with you and even those you had yet to meet.

Your life certainly had been one long adventure.

Though the rain water had left your clothes soaked and cold, you felt surprisingly good and happy now that you had found shelter from the elements. You loved the exotic region of Othrad in general, the verdant forests of Yanxia and the wide, endless plains of Azim Steppe; and now that your campaign against the empire had been put on a pause, you could finally enjoy exploring and getting to know the lands.

 

You dig a towel from your backpack and dry your hair a bit as you stroll around the abandoned Inn that had to have been a thing of beauty in its prime. It reminded you a bit of Umineko inn in Kugane with the wide open area in the middle despite having two floors.

You lift your head and tense up for a moment when you suddenly hear the door open and close behind you. Someone had entered the building, their steps slow, calm and relaxed.

 

It sounded like the person didn't try to be sneaky or hide their presence in anyway, so they most likely were not bandits or spies..

 _Perhaps another traveler seeking shelter from the rain?_ Yet...there was something oddly familiar about those steps. They sounded so heavy against the damp wooden floorboards and the soft clinking sound of metal reminded you of someone in particular....But that couldn't be. He was dead and gone, life taken by his own hand. The steps continued as the person kept slowly approaching you.

“Oh, another traveler seeking shelter from the rain as well? The foul weather caught me off-guard,” you finally say in pleasant manner band turn to see who had entered the abandoned inn, only to have your heart skip a beat when you saw who it was.

 _No, that cannot be, am I dreaming?_ You wonder, eyes wide due to the shock. _I have to be._ You had lost so many friends during your travels from Haurchefant and Papalymo to even Ysayle that you refused to believe that a monster such as him could just...return. It felt just so unfair and wrong.

It seemed like the weather was not the only thing to catch you off-guard, this one had just much more lethal consequences.

Before you stood none other than Zenos yae Galvus, the viceroy of both Doma and Ala Mhigo, and a man who had apparently returned from death. His long blond hair was wet from the rain, yet the crown prince didn't seem to care. You had his undivided attention.

Your hands clench into fists on an instinct and you can feel adrenaline starting to flow through your veins as you stare at the man before you who had caused so much pain to your friends and the people of two city states.

“There you are...I've been searching for you, eikon slayer,” Zenos said, looking his usual calm and somber self, his eyes dead as ever. Yet, to your surprise, that dark and emotionless look changed when a small smile formed on his face, one you had come to see during your last few meetings in Ala Mhigo. That smile was now however somehow more...affectionate and you didn't like the exhilarated look in his blue eyes one bit. Having the crown prince to Garlemald throne staring at you as if you were something he wanted to own made your skin crawl.

“A little spy of mine whispered that you had set off to explore the wilderness on your own. I decided that it was time for me to come and hunt down my only, and dearest of friends,” the tall blond said as he gazed into your eyes that were now burning with determination. “I've missed you so, Warrior of Light. You've tormented my every waking moment to the point I just had to seek you out.”

 

You grit your teeth for few seconds before calming down, taking control over your own emotions.

 

“You should be dead...I saw you slit your own throat,” you whisper but Zenos merely laughs softly and shakes his head at you. He had not yet drawn his sword out, but the armor suggested that he was ready for a battle.

Despite having defeated him once, you were ill prepared and ill equipped for a fight with him, and you both knew it. Zenos had the upper hand and should you clash, he'd be the clear victor.

You could feel cold sweat form on your brow as you quickly glance at you gear that rested against the wall. The tall blond man would cut you down in less than a second if you dashed towards them.

“”We Garleans have our methods, and believe me my friend, not even death can keep me from hunting my most precious prey down,” Zenos said with almost dreamy look in his usually so emotionless eyes as he took few more steps closer to you. “You are the only one worthy of being part of my hunt. No other beast can match your resolve and skill.”

Only now did you notice the gleam of thrill in his blue eyes and the insatiable hunger for blood. Yet, there was something else in there as well, something you couldn't quite put your finger on.

“Am I correct to assume you've tracked me down to kill me?” you ask quietly and stare at the tall Garlean crown prince who stopped and finally drew one of his swords out, pointing the tip at you.

“Kill you?” Zenos asked with a soft, amused chuckle. ”No my friend, you are the only one who understands me. You and I are the same.”

And there it was, that unhinged, insane look in his blue eyes and the smile to match it. He was staring at you intensely, drinking in the view.

“The moments like these are what we live for, are they not? The danger, the thin line between life and death. I can't stop thinking our previous encounter at Ala Mhigo, how despite all odds you bested me. That made us equals and closest of friends....”

“What do you want from me then?” you ask, heart hammering against your chest as the adrenaline makes your senses and reflexes heightened.

The look on Zenos' face was truly insane and unhinged. It was the very same expression when he had talked with you beneath Shinryu;a look of pure obsession and exhilaration he rarely felt. Perhaps the worst thing was, that it quickly dawned upon you that _**you**_ were the target of his obsession.

_This is not good._

“I...I came to add you to my royal menagerie...” the long haired man whispered, his words catching you completely off-guard.

“Royal...menagerie?” you ask, not liking where this was going at all. Did he mean the menagerie back in Ala Mhigo or something entirely else?

“It would be such a shame to kill you, warrior of light, after all we are friends,” Zenos said as he stared at you. “You bested me even when I bound Shinryu to my will. You made me feel so alive, something no one else has ever managed to do,” the crown prince continued, the gleam of thrill in his eyes turning to insatiable hunger and possessive need. “I need to add you to my royal menagerie. You'll sole item in my collection of exotic beings. There is no need for anyone else because no one can match you.”

 _This man is insane,_ you think and can't help but stare at the tip of the razor sharp katana. Zenos could cut you down any second.

“My friend, my confidant...You will see the Garlemald empire in its glory. The slayer of Eikons will be in my private collection, an exotic, untamed creature from the savage lands, only for my eyes to see,” Zenos said and laughed as he continued approaching you, his heavy foot steps sounding extremely foreboding. “We will while away the quiet hours of the night together. You and I..”

 

“You must be out of your mind if you think I will allow you to lock me somewhere for you to enjoy and keep,” you hiss at Zenos who had a very strange understanding how friendship worked. What he suggested sounded more akin to keeping a pet.

 

The blond man merely smiled at your words before his expression returned to that somber, almost emotional state.  
“As much as I'd love to battle with you right now to walk the thin line of life and death, I have no interest in alerting whole Doma to my return just yet,” the crown prince said and offered his hand to you, clearly asking you to go willingly with him.  
“Now, lets go together as friends and confidants to each other, Warrior of Light. Garlemald awaits our return....”

You didn't move a single muscle and merely chose to glare daggers at the unhinged blond as your mind raced, trying desperately to come up with some way to escape this situation and inform Hien and Lyse

“As I thought. Fierce and predictable like a rabid animal,” Zenos said all amused, that soft smile returning to his face. “You are not an easy prey, I can certainly see that. We will become very close friends indeed.”

Before you could act, he swung his sword and though he had slashed air, the force of it hit you like a gale wind. The force slashed around you, battering your form and tearing the support beams of the building to shreds.

When the attack was over, silence fell over the abandoned building once more and the only sound you could hear was the rain that had not ceased.

You froze when you heard how the wooden structures creaked softly underneath the weight they no longer could carry. You looked up momentarily, unsure what was going to happen before turning your gaze back to Zenos when you heard him laugh.

“I know a rabid animal such as yourself, one that has lived all its life as a savage, cannot be tamed...but even the most savage heart can be conditioned to fear pain...and to seek reward,” Zenos whispered in foreboding manner and before you had a chance to reply or take any action, the roof and the second floor came crashing down around you.

 

* * *

 

Pain...pain was all you could feel as you found yourself lying underneath the wooden beams, floor boards and roof tiles that had pinned your form underneath their weight. When you tried to move, the pain indicated that your leg and arm were probably broken along with a rib or two.

A sense of fear started to take a grip of your mind as you tried to struggle and get free from underneath the crushing weight, but with your broken arm and trapped lower body, it proved to be impossible.

Fear rarely had any control over you, but now that you lied underneath the rubble and only able to look at Zenos who was approaching you with that katana in his hand, you couldn't help but feel the cold tendrils of dread take hold of your body and mind.

_Hien, Lyse, Yugiri, Alphinaud, Alizaie...someone...help._

The blond crown prince's eyes narrowed due to the affectionate smile when he saw the primal fear in your eyes. He stopped a half a meter away from you, eying his handiwork quite amused. Now that you were trapped against the floor, the tall man seemed almost monstrous as he towered over you. Oh who were you kidding, he was a monster alright.

 

Galvus was staring down at you, cherishing and enjoying the moment to his heart's content. The fear in your eyes was like drug to Zenos and it made him crave for more. He wanted to have you all to himsef.

You flinch when he brings the tip of the blade before your eyes, forcing you to keep your head up.

You were his first friend and he was going to make sure you two would remain as such, no matter what.

 

“Sorry my friend, but I can't have you cause any ruckus just yet. I'm sure you understand,” Zenos said almost lovingly and just when you were about to bark something at him, the tall garlean delivered a strong sideways kick to your head, knocking you unconscious.

The tall and handsome prince then crouched down and grabbed a fistful of your hair, lifting your head before letting it fall ungracefully to the floor with a soft “thud” when he was sure you were unconscious. You would be out cold for a good while.

A truly possessive and happy smile formed on the blond man's lips that made his beautiful blue eyes narrow; he could barely contain his joy. You were the first one to instill such emotions in him.

Galvus shook his head as he removed the heavy rubble on top of you away with one hand before pulling your unconscious and broken body free.

“My royal menagerie awaits you, eikon slayer,” Zenos whispered as he lifted you up onto his arms and started heading towards the exit of the partially destroyed inn.

As the handsome prince looked down your face that was stained in blood, he couldn't help but think of all the exhilarating feelings you had made him experience. Those feelings had given birth to new ones he couldn't quite grasp or describe just yet. The thirst for blood was there, but hunger for something else as well, a desire to control the savage beast that was you; to try and tame it despite the odds.

The rain water fell from the sky, making your unconscious body shiver against Zenos' metal armor as he carried you towards the small airship that would take the two of you back to the distant land of Garlemald.

The blonde's eyes gleamed with possessive need and excitement as he carried you like you weighted nothing to him.

“To hell with Doma, Ala Mhigo and Garlemald all I care, you and I are above all these petty squabbles, warrior of light,” Zenos whispered, knowing that he was never going to let the eikon slayer go.”The world is for us to slay together. We will snuff out all the candles and burn brighter than anyone else.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Might turn this into 2 chapter long fic if Zenos keeps bothering me.


End file.
